ACTUALITE |
14.02.2002
Pressmen protest against CAF’s suspension of Nkono after arrest by Malian police
A press conference granted by CAN 2002 local organisation chairman, Sofy Makaguila last Friday in the Bamako congress hall came to an abrupt end when journalists, led by those from Nigeria, walked out in protest of CAF’s decision to suspend Cameroon’s goalkeeper trainer, Thomas Nkono for one year.
The journalists were very bitter about Makaguila’s lousy attempt to defend CAF’s decision and the Malian police who beat, handcuffed Nkono and took him off the pitch shortly before the semi-final game between Cameroon and hosts Mali the previous day.
Though the decision was not yet official when Makaguila was speaking, the journalists were aware of the decision and challenged CAF to give an explanation. But the response was not satisfactory.“No matter the offence, a team official cannot be molested by the police like a violent animal. It is a disgrace to Africa for one of their glorious football sons to be molested in a pitch and consequently get such punishment, while the perpetrators are congratulated,” a very angry journalist remarked.
Against the CAF rule that teams can come onto the pitch for warm up 45 minutes before the game, Nkono and Lions’ head coach, Winfried Schaffer marched onto the pitch that Thursday 90 minutes before the start of the game.
As Nkono was pointing to the stadium giant TV screen on which the first semi-final match between Nigeria and Senegal was being broadcast, the police came questioning. Communication with Schafer who does not understand French was impossible. So they moved on to Nkono.
Before Nkono could explain his presence on the pitch, he was pushed and knocked onto the ground. In the molestation, his pair of trousers were torn and were falling off. The handcuffs wounded his right wrist. CAF announced that were it not for the intervention of its officials Nkono would have been
taken to the police and detained. This sounded absolutely ridiculous that CAF was supporting policemen who had clearly over-reacted.CAF also said that Nkono did not have his identification badge on. But a video recording later showed that Nkono had his badge on. It was the police who pulled it off. Instead it was Schaffer who had no badge. “Were they afraid of the white men,” a journalist questioned.
After the game which Mali badly lost 0-3, Mali’s president Alpha Oumar Konare, apparently informed of the police blunder, visited the Lions in their dressing room. CAF claimed that Nkono was rude to the president. That is why the punishment was heavy.
But journalists who were present in the dressing room said it was blatant lie. They said Nkono spoke very politely to Alpha Konare, requesting the president to “better educate the police force.”
Knowing the man Nkono, no one could believe that Nkono would talk rudely to a head of state
Nkono told The Herald that all the accusations against him were false. “Everybody saw the police assault me, without provocation,” he said.The journalists understood there was manipulation of information and a clear will to harm Cameroon. They requested that the Mali TV which was present in the dressing room broadcast what Nkono said to the president. It did not happen. Instead the TV station showed Alpha Konare greeting the players, just
as he did in the Malians dressing room. And how captain Rigobert Song handed his shirt to the president.
The pressmen remarked that the police action was just part of intimidation from Malians on Cameroonians. In the morning of the game, the police stormed the hotel lodging Cameroonian dance groups and seized their drums and mask in the believe that it was the juju used by the Lions to win games.
For observers Nkono was molested because the police believed he had walked on the pitch to throw some charms that would help Cameroon win.
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Hits: 1 | Source:The Herald | |
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